


Smith & Wesson

by leftdragonpainter



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Assistant Castiel, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bisexual Castiel, Bisexual Dean, Blow Jobs, Boss Dean, Castiel Has a Cat, Claire novak but not really, Comfort, Confessions, Dean Has a Crush, Divorced Castiel, Episode: s04e17 It's a Terrible Life, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Dates, First Kiss, Homeless Castiel, Homophobic Language, Hospitals, Implied Bottom Dean, Injured Castiel, Insecurity, Love Confessions, M/M, Meet-Cute, Minor Character Death, Pining Dean, Roadhouse, Self Confidence Issues, Slow Build, Understanding Dean, gabriel finds out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 10:47:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7798798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leftdragonpainter/pseuds/leftdragonpainter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Smith is in desperate need for an assistant that can actually do the job. He gets more than he expected when Castiel Novak comes in. He wasn't expecting to crush so hard on the man. Honest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is my first attempt on a non-canon AU for the boys. Hope ya'll like. The more feedback the more chapters!  
> Gabi  
> <3<3<3

“I’m Dean Smith, Director of Sales and Marketing. I went to Stanford. My father’s name is Bob, my mother’s name is Ellen, and my sister’s name is Jo.” He smiled at the blinking red light above the camera. The human resource woman, Anna he remembered, stood behind the camcorder holding her clipboard. She smiled widely at him, getting one in return. Trying not to look as though he was reading from a script, even though he was, he continued. “And here at Sandover, we treat our employees like family. It started out as a family business and that’s how it continues to remain.”

Anna nodded as she reached over to shut of the device. “That was perfect Dean.”

“You sure?” Dean questioned, as he loosened his tie slightly. He was still unsure as to why they chose him to be apart of the welcome training dvd, he had only been with the company a few short weeks himself. Hell, he didn’t even have a permanent secretary yet. Assistant. Whatever.

“Absolutely. Thanks again for coming in early to do this.” Anna packed away her paperwork, camcorder into her shoulder bag. As she was about to leave his office, she smacked her face as though remembering something. “Oh, and I think that I’ve found you an assistant finally. Cas Novak. Should be here in a few.”

With a wave and a smile and bounce of red hair she was gone.

 _Cas Novak, huh? Cas?_ Probably short for Cassandra or something. Dean shrugged, hoping that she would at least know how to use the copier.

For the past few weeks he had had to deal with some of the most incompetent assistants in all of existence. Sure that was an exaggeration, but he was done with the drama that followed these temps around. They didn’t want to work, Meg, didn’t know how to work things, Ruby, only wanted to file their nails instead of the paperwork, Meg number two. Though by the end of Meg the Second’s tenure he was kinda sad to see her go. She grew on him in some weird way. Like a barnacle.

One had even tried hitting on him within the first hour of her first day. Bela. Damn, that Brit was something else. Not that Dean Smith wouldn’t have said no, if a short term hookup had been all she had wanted. Unfortunately for her, he had overheard a phone call later where she had talked to a friend saying something along the lines of “Give me a month, darling, full of angry sex with my boss and I’ll have a shiny, new ring on my left hand.”

Yeah, she was fired. Quickly.

Over the next hour his coworkers started wandering into the 22nd floor of the Sandover offices. He could hear people talking as they made their coffee and settled in for the work day ahead. Having come in two hours early to do the video that had finished faster than expected, Dean had plowed through the days paperwork and emails. It surprised him how much he had been able to accomplish without the noise the office usually made.

A solid knock sounded on the door. Without looking up from the email he was writing, Dean called out. “Come on in.”

He still didn’t glance up as footsteps crossed the carpeted corporate office, or when a sizable body stood awkwardly in front of his desk. A large grey mug emblazoned with the Sandover insignia, filled to the brim with coffee was placed beside his monitor. Surprised, Dean finally rose his eyes to the stranger. “May I help you?”

The man wasn’t small by any means, though he was a couple inches shorter than Dean himself. He wore a loose fitting black suit, white shirt and crooked blue tie and his hair was a mess. Like he had never taken a comb to it. Or someone had just finished passionately run their hands through it, Dean’s mind supplied unhelpfully.

“Steamed latte, extra foam, correct? I had to call a few of your old assistants to find how you liked your coffee.” The rough, sex soaked voice shook Dean to the core.

“Uh, right. Thanks for that.” Dean spouted eloquently. Who the hell was this guy?

“Your first meeting is in a half hour with a Mister Fergus Crowley. Something regarding the important contracts that need your signature.” The man continued shuffling papers around in his hands. Looking straight at Dean with impossible blue eyes, he blinked clearly expecting some form of response.

Shaking his head slightly to clear it, Dean cleared his throat. “Uh, that sounds great. Just one question though.”

Blue Eyes arched a brow.

“Who the hell are you?”

*****

“Who the hell are you?” His new boss asked from behind the desk.

Great job, Novak. Already forgot to introduce yourself, great first impression. You won’t last a week. Just another failure to add to the list. Somehow his self doubt always sounded like his cousin Gabriel. Not that Gabriel would really ever say things like that, at least to his face.

“Castiel Novak.” He responded automatically, before adding. “I’m your new assistant. Didn’t Anna from HR inform you?”

And now you’re practically insulting the man. What an idiot. Castiel could vividly see his cousin shaking his head at him. He swallowed, and continued to watch with an unintentional unblinking stare at the man seated behind the desk. He was sure that he had already fucked up with the slightly younger man. Fuck he didn’t want to get fired already just because he was socially awkward and forgot to introduce himself.

He thought that he had done so well with making sure to know how his new boss, Dean Smith, liked his coffee. He wanted everything to be perfect, so that he could keep this job. He _needed_ to keep this job. He had a life to rebuild. He had a cat to feed.

While Castiel was having a mild panic attack in his head, he missed that Dean was staring right back at him in shock.

“You’re my new assistant?” Dean slowly rose from his chair leaning on the glass desk top with both hands. “You’re not a woman,” he accused. Too late he realized how utterly sexist that came out.

Castiel blinked. What? “No, I’m not. Anna didn’t tell you then.”

“She told me someone named Cassie Novak would be coming in today.”

He narrowed his eyes. Only Gabriel was brave enough to ever call him Cassie, and he always regretted doing so after. “It’s Castiel. Not Cassie, Mr. Smith. So I’d appreciate it if you never called me Cassie again.”

Mr. Smith cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as though embarrassed. “Right. Course.”

After the most awkward meeting ever between boss and assistant, they were able to fall into a fairly amiable working relationship within the next few weeks. Castiel was thankful that he had been able to maintain the job. He needed it. It wasn’t that he had any crazy school bills or anything but he did have rent to pay and food to buy. Not to mention his divorce from Daphne had left him with practically nothing. So he generally went out of his way, probably more than he needed to, to make certain that his new boss would have no reason to let him go.

*****

Dean was never letting him go. Castiel was utterly awkward, not understanding any of the billion references that Dean threw him. There were so many, how could anyone keep up, honestly. But he made up for it by being an amazing assistant. Doing things correctly without being told beforehand, anticipating Dean’s needs. Dean didn’t think that he had ever had a better assistant.

It didn’t hurt that he was fucking gorgeous either. And hell if that voice hadn’t slipped into a few note-worthy dreams over the next few weeks. When he joking thought he would have a hot secretary he hadn’t thought it would be this blue eyed dynamo sent down from heaven. Dude even fixed the office copier. Dean had walked in on him bent over it on the second day. He had stood on one leg, other leg in the air behind him as he monkeyed with something in the back panel. Seeing both his flexibility combined with that surprisingly firm ass beneath the unflattering loose pants gave Dean the need to take a long lunch.

Thank God or whoever was listening that Castiel didn’t know that his idiot boss had a crush on him.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (insert duck face to camera here) consider that my selfie...  
> Okay so I have deleted the original version of this chapter because I went back and reworked it. Now It's longer and (hopefully) better.  
> Let me know what you all think! (I'm a needy writer and need validation)  
> Gabi  
> <3<3<3  
> AUTHORS NOTE: there is some homophobic language in this chapter now. I really hate it when I need to write scenes with it in it. It's horrible to get into that mindset. :{

“Smith.” A man’s voice said from the door with an added knock. Dean recognized the voice immediately.

“Wesson.” He answered to the IT guy with a grin. In Dean’s first couple of weeks there had been a change over with the networks so the IT department had been spending a lot of time in the offices working on them. Sam Wesson had been in Dean’s office so frequently that they had developed a friendship.

Dean found it amusing still that their names became a brand for weapons. Now they just needed a friend named Colt or Winchester or something. They could start up a hunting group.

“So ready to hit the Roadhouse?” Sam asked as he folded his tall form into the chair. He had already changed out of his work shirt, throwing on instead a simple blue denim wash button-down. It was the beginning of a four day weekend, July 4th being on the following Monday. Everyone was antsy to get away from the office for a few days.

The Roadhouse was a nice little bar that he had discovered a while back. Definitely had a _Cheers_ vibe to it, and the furniture probably had scene better days. But the food was great, the booze was strong, the women (and men) were fairly loose, and on the weekends there was a killer DJ at the helm. It probably could easily compete with some of the ‘clubs’ around the city on the weekends.

“Yeah, just give me like ten minutes to tie up some loose ends here.” Dean nodded. Grabbing the last of the days files he walked out to Castiel’s desk.

“Hey man. Here’s the last of it. Just send these out, then you can escape.”

Castiel’s still un-brushed head bounced, nodding, as he took the papers. He expected that Mr. Smith would turn right back around immediately, but he just stood in front of his desk, shifting on the balls of his feet. “Was there anything else, Mr. Smith?”

Dean green eyes shot to his. No matter how many times he has told Castiel to call him Dean over the past few weeks, the man just wouldn’t. “Uh, just uh, wondering if you got any plans for the holiday weekend. You know, family stuff or something.” _Smooth, Smith. Real fricking smooth._

“Not really. Just watching Netflix with Rowena. Why?” Not that the temperamental ginger cat would really care about the _Ghost Whisperer_ marathon he had planned. Damn his life had gotten pathetic after the divorce. Foolishly he wondered about the whole Get-A-Life plan he had mapped out months ago. _Probably forgot about it while giving Rowena her flea meds._ Castiel tilted his head as he looked up at his boss in confusion. They never really talked about life outside of work. Well, he didn’t at least. So why had he just mentioned his cat? Man, he needed to get out more.

“Oh, right. Course. It’s just that uh, some of us are heading down to the Roadhouse after work to start the weekend off. Just going to ask if you wanted to join?” _Why’d you ask if you knew he had plans, Smith? He just said he was spending the weekend with his girlfriend._ It was just Dean’s luck that the man was taken. And straight, he added to himself sadly. He shouldn’t be surprised, dorky little dude was awesome.

Castiel frowned, and continued to look confused. “Um…”

“Well, see you next week then, Cas.” Dean turned swiftly with a wave, not really giving the man a chance to answer. He belatedly realized he had thrown out a nickname. Damn, the man must think he’s an idiot.

*****

Two hours later, he and Sam were drinking at the bar. They had eaten first since the bar also served food. Best pie in town as far as Dean was concerned. Stomachs full, they settled in for a night of playing wingman for each other. And from the looks the pair were getting it would be easy pickings tonight. Not that Dean was feeling it, but he could spend some time flirting to help his friend.

As Sam made his way over to what seemed like a group of barely legal co-eds, Dean turned back to the counter. He blinked when a shot of whiskey was placed in front of him.

“Here you go, Dean.” Ash grinned behind the bar. The man looked like he still lived in the bad part of the nineties with his butchered flannel shirt and mullet. Dean didn’t care, dude made a mean drink. “Glass of the best.”

“I didn’t order this.” Dean frowned at the glass.

“I know that. Blue eyes over at the other end of the bar did.” Ash jerked his head.

Confused and more than a little curious Dean turned to see who had sent him the drink. His heart squeezed tighter than it should have when he saw very a very specific set of blues eyes under very messy black hair. Cas. With a twitch of his lips he grinned, lifting the drink in a salute before downing it. Grabbing his beer, he made his way over to where Cas was watching him with that unearthly stare.

With a friendly grin, he said. “Thanks for the drink, Cas. You didn’t have to.”

“It was a thank you for inviting me out tonight, Mr. Smith. You didn’t have to either.” Castiel responded.

_This guy_ , Dean rolled his eyes. “How many times have I asked you to just call me Dean? Mr. Smith makes me sound like I should be starring opposite Angelina Jolie.”

Castiel remained silent, sipping at his vodka cranberry. He didn’t break eye contact with Dean as he wrapped his lips around the bright green straw.

“So anyway,” Dean swallowed, suddenly feeling slightly self-conscious as he watched the movement. Drinking around his assistant was probably not the brightest idea he had ever had. Dean was a flirt at the best of times but fill him with enough booze and place him next to his crush, he was bound to do something stupid enough to start the apocalypse.

“Anyway?” Castiel prompted him.

“Did your girlfriend let you come out alone tonight or is she in the bathroom fixing her hair or something?” Dean scanned the crowd looking for anyone that looked like they’d be dating Castiel. He took another sip of his beer when he realized what he was doing.

Castiel tilted his head and looked, confused, over at Dean. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Oh?” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. He could feel his face getting warmer from embarrassment. “But I thought you said earlier…”

Castiel shook his head. “Rowena’s my cat. Biggest charmer that you’ve ever met but I swear she has this way of making me want to kill. Or bleed from my eyes with the stress of trying to deal with her.”

_Rowena is his cat?_ Geez, this guy kept throwing him through a loop. “Sounds like a handful. Why not just get rid of her?”

Castiel shrugged, taking a sip from his drink again. He’d asked himself that very same question for years. He’d never be able to. Besides Rowena had calmed down in the last year surprisingly. Though he was still convinced that she was the mother of hell spawn.

*****

For the next hour or so they kept to some small talk as they drank. They barely even mentioned work; after all they were on vacation. Eventually nature called. Dean hurried in the restroom wanting to get back to Castiel. It wasn’t like they were on a date or anything. They weren’t. Obviously. But he was enjoying Cas’ surprising dry wit that never quite got the chance to shine in the office.

Head up, Dean pushed his way through the crowd after exiting the men’s room. Almost directly in front on him stood Cas. He appeared to be talking to a man and a woman that was clinging to the shiny blue shirt the man wore beside her. Cas’ shoulders were tight and his hands turned to fists at his side. Dean frowned wondering what was wrong. The music pounded with some obnoxious beat through the overhead speakers as he stepped up next to Cas. “Hey man. Ready for another round?”

“Hello, Dean.” It was the first time ever that Dean had heard the man say his name. With those two simple words Dean was lost. And he knew it. Holy fuck the way Cas said his name put seriously inappropriate thoughts of how it would sound if Cas was moaning it instead.

Cas turned his head slightly acknowledging his presence. “Dean, this is my ex.”

Dean turned to get a better look at the man in front of them. Up close the shirt appeared to be holographic and way too tight. His hair was styled up with so much product Dean was certain he alone kept Vidal Sassoon in business. Dean threw a look at Cas. “Really? This tool bag? I figured that you had better taste in guys than this.”

Cas snorted in surprise, slightly choking on the laugh he held in. Nodding, he admitted. “I do. But _Daphne-_ ” he stressed, gesturing to the woman, “here is my ex-wife.”

The woman glared at them, tightening her hold on Tool-man. She gave a disgusted sigh. “I still cannot believe that I was ever married to a gay- sorry. _Bisexual_ man. You do remember that that is a sin either way you call it, right?”

“So is being a whore. Adultery is one of the big no-no’s if I’m not mistaken.” Cas said coldly.

Daphne grit her teeth, refusing to rise to the bait. She looked over at the well-suited man standing beside Castiel. He certainly was a piece of eye candy if there ever was one. Rapaciously she taunted them, though she should have prepared herself for the answer better. “So is this the person you sin with now?”

Cas was going to ignore her. He had learned long ago not to try to play her games. She lashed out like this when she drank, it had gotten worse after he had admitted to her that he was attracted to men as well. He rolled his eyes, cheeks reddening slightly. He was slightly embarrassed that his boss had to hear this.

The last thing he had expected was for Dean Smith to step in, sling an arm low on Cas’ back, and circle a large warm hand on his hip, saying in his rich voice. “Once a night and twice on Thursday’s. That’s when we dress up and play Angel’s and Demon’s.” He added with a cocky wink.

Cas couldn’t talk if his life depended on it in that moment. He was sure that his face was beet red. Daphne was studying them both like she knew this was all an act. It was. He wasn’t good at improvising like this. Especially not like this. He blinked when his ex-wife cackled, un-amused. “Yeah, right. Like Castiel here could have ever scored a ten like you.”

One day Cas was going to have to go back and sort through the events of this night and figure out how the hell it had brought him to this moment. Because before he could respond to Daphne, his boss, Dean, had cupped Cas’ face and was kissing him. _Close your eyes Cassie_ , he could hear Gabriel say inside his head. For once Cas wasn’t in the mood to argue. He closed his eyes and gripped Dean’s waist, squeezing lightly. Dean groaned into his mouth.

“Gross. Fags.” Daphne slurred harshly. Her heels could be heard as she stormed off, her date trailing behind after her.

Dean broke the kiss as soon as she had disappeared, immediately dropping his hand. Smiling, he grinned at the other man. “She’s a piece of work, huh? Come on. Next round’s on me.”

 


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so when I went in and deleted the original version I had of chapter two I didn't realize that it had also deleted the wonderful (and only) comment I had so far on this. So please accept my profuse apologies my lovely! I'm a horrible person! I fail at life!   
> ... okay... I'm done being overly dramatic now...  
> Enjoy! Comments make me forget how bad my feet hurt after a 12 hour shift!

Two days later, Dean sat driving in his Prius berating himself. What the fuck had come over him the other night? He had kissed Cas. His assistant. Dean was going to be lucky if all he got out of the other night was just Castiel’s resignation on Tuesday. Man, he hated Tuesday’s. He was probably going to die a hundred deaths on Tuesday. More than anything he was fully expecting a call from his lawyer explaining how badly he was getting sued.

He had kissed Cas. He had kissed _Cas._ Castiel Don’t-Call-Me-Cassie Novak. Dean shook his head, still unable to get the taste of the other man off his lips. Just because you enjoyed it, Smith, doesn’t mean that Cas had appreciated getting manhandled like that. Dean was sure that was why Castiel had refused the next round before beating a hasty retreat from the Roadhouse. Perhaps Dean could chalk it up to too much alcohol that night? That and a bad reaction to homophobic ex-wives who needed a bitch slap to the face.

He needed to make amends, apologize. It probably wasn’t the best idea to drive over to Cas’ apartment to do so face-to-face, but it was the only idea he had at the moment. He drove the familiar streets leading to the worn down apartment building. This particular building had always given him the heebie-jeebies. Dean may not know anything about structural support or anything but even he could tell that Cas’ place was a death trap. He was embarrassed to admit that he may have done a drive by one or two times over the past month. Geez, when had he gotten so pathetic?

Refocusing on the task at hand, he started to plan out what he was going to say once he got there, assuming that Castiel allowed him to speak. “I’ll just go over and say ‘sorry, Cas’ and then…”

He didn’t get to finish that thought as sirens sounded behind him. He pulled over to allow several firetrucks speed past his silver Prius. They were heading the same direction that he had been. Trying to ignore the sick feeling settling in his stomach, Dean followed behind the red engines.

“Shit.” Dean’s eyes widened at the horror before him. Half the building, Cas’ building was engulfed in angry flames. Tenants huddled in groups watching in horror as their home fell to the flames. Children were crying holding on to their parents hands, and Dean spied a few of the elderly tenants receive oxygen from the EMTs. A couple important looking men were shouting out orders to put the flames out quicker, but the effort merely seemed to anger the blaze.

It was Hell.

Pulling over enough to be out of the way of any emergency vehicles, he turned off the engine before rushing out. He swallowed trying to add moisture to his rapidly drying throat. Slamming the car door, he was in full out panic mode as he searched the crowd surrounding the building. He didn’t even realize that he was yelling Cas’ name until he felt someone grip his left shoulder tightly.

“Mr. Smith? What are you doing here?” Cas’ normal gravely voice was even rougher. He limped closer. Soot covered his face almost making him unrecognizable. Except for the eyes.

Those damn blue eyes.

Not thinking, Dean hugged him tightly and said a brief “Thank god,” before letting the other man go. “Are you okay? You’re okay right? You’re okay. Okay.” He rambled as he took in the rest of Cas’ appearance. Cas was wearing a pair of jeans, an old t-shirt and a beat up hoodie, but thankfully nothing appeared to be scorched.

“Yes, Mr. Smith I’m fine.” He seemed confused as to why his boss was there, but frankly he had more pressing matters to worry about at the moment. He gestured to the building, now half the size it was yesterday. His apartment had been on the top floor, which was now nothing more than a memory. “My home however, is not. And I can’t seem to find Rowena.” He frowned as he looked up, worried.

“Is there anything I can do? Anyone I can call for you?” Dean stood still, one hand firmly on Cas’ shoulder. It wasn’t much, but it was all he could do to help in the heat of the moment. Cas seemed ready to break down any second, and he sure as hell was going to need a friend.

Cas shook his head as he stared unblinking up at the smoke and orange flames mockingly dancing against the clear blue sky. It was finally sinking in that his home was gone. Again.

“Mr. Novak?” a teenage girl’s voice accompanied a hesitant tug on his hoodie.

Castiel turned his head to look over at the girl. She lived in the building he was sure. Recalling her name, he answered. “Yes, Claire?”

She shuffled her bare feet. She was still in her pajamas, painted toes peeking out beneath the purple flannel hem. “I, uh, just wanted to say thank you. For saving my mom.”

Before either of them knew how it happened, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He patted her awkwardly, and murmured a brief “You’re welcome.” Then in a flash of energy and blonde hair she was gone, running back to the ambulance taking her mother to the nearest hospital.

Dean raised a questioning brow. Cas avoided his eyes but offered with a shrug, “One of the apartments was barricaded but I could hear a woman screaming inside when I was making my way down the stairs. Got her out. It was nothing, really.” He shrugged again knowing that it was still very little information. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to fight off the adrenaline leaving his system.

Dean stared at him, open mouthed. The man could have ignored the screams but had chosen instead to save another person’s life. And now he was acting like it was no big deal? Like he wasn’t probably falling apart on the inside over the loss of his own home?

_This guy._ Dean wanted desperately to hug the other man, to offer comfort. He settled for placing his hand back on Castiel’s shoulder. Dean wasn’t good with the whole emotions-supportive thing, really, but in that moment as he watched Cas shrink helplessly before his eyes without moving, he wanted nothing more than to put a smile on his face.

Dean glanced down as something brushed against the back of his leg. A –what he assumed considering the amount of black soot covering it- orange tabby butted it’s head on his boot, seeking attention. Sinking down to pick it up once he saw the collar, Dean crooned. “Well hello there, beautiful.”

Cas turned his head when Mr. Smith removed his hand from his shoulder. He was shocked at the soothing tone coming from the man standing behind him. Castiel practically sobbed, realizing that Rowena was safe in his boss’s arms. Taking his cat from the other man, he held her close, thankful that at least this was left to him. He buried his face in her smoke scented fur. It was the best thing he had ever smelled.

“I take it that’s Rowena?” Dean asked.

Cas nodded, unable to form words behind the tears that now un-abashedly fell. Excluding a few boxes he had stored away at Gabriel’s that he hadn’t bothered to move in yet, Rowena was all he had left in the world now.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, crying into Rowena’s fur. It had to be long enough that the flames were well to defeated. Cas barely registered when Mr. Smith walked away briefly. He did notice however when he came back and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, walking them over to the silver Prius down the road. Cas looked questioningly up at Mr. Smith.

“I’m taking you home.” Dean coughed into his hand when he realized how that sounded. Recovering he cleared his throat. “Uh, what I meant was, do you have someplace? Someone you can stay with?”

Yeah, _that_ should clarify things.

“I guess that I could stay with Gabriel.” Cas said distractedly. Dean ushered him into the passenger side of the Prius, taking the initiative to buckle him in.

“Well, Gabe’s it is then.”

“But his place doesn’t allow pets.” Cas added sadly, stroking Rowena’s dirty coat.

Dean really needed to upgrade his whole brain-to-mouth filter, he decided after he said. “You can stay with me.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know... Long time, no post... But lookie! I did a whole chapter last night. Btw I only bothered to do a spell check on this so if anyone sees anything wrong that I missed let me know. Comments and kudos lovelies!

_What the hell are you doing, Smith?_ Seriously. Inviting your assistant, the man you’re crushing on to come live with you? Yeah, there’s a padded room and a jacket to hug yourself with waiting for you in the near future. Dean mentally slapped himself as he unlocked the steel door to his loft.

Cas shuffled awkwardly in the hallway, still holding Rowena in a death grip. There were several plastic bags on the floor next to his feet. “I really do appreciate this Mr. Smith. It will only be a couple nights at most. I’ll start looking for a place in the morning.” Cas assured him quietly, carrying a few of the bags into the apartment. They had stopped at Walmart on the way over to Dean’s place. Even though Dean had plenty of food for the two of them he had nothing for the cat. “And thank you for thinking of Rowena.”

“Hey man. Don’t worry about it. Stay as long as you need to. Besides tomorrow’s the fourth. I doubt that any landlord’s will be wanting to show apartments on a holiday.” He reminded the other man. Dean walked past him, closely leaning in with a grin. “And I think it’s time you started calling me Dean now, don’t you?”

“Of course. Dean it is.” Castiel nodded, then glanced around the apartment. It was modern, clean and something you’d find in the pages of a magazine. There was a complicated looking piece of exercise equipment next to the open kitchen. It was small, with granite countertops and steel appliances that fed into the living area. A decent sized flat screen television hung over the fireplace. There was a large, uncomfortable looking black couch and one glass and steel end table beside it. To Castiel, it all screamed bachelor pad. “Again, I really appreciate the loan of your couch.”

Dean paused putting away the cat supplies. Shaking his head, he chuckled. “Dude. You’re not sleeping on the couch. I don’t even like _sitting_ on the thing, it’s so uncomfortable. The decorator put it in. Not me.” He shrugged. At Cas’ blank stare, he elaborated. “Anyway, you get the second bedroom. It’s only got a queen bed, but you should fit. Get your own closet and everything.”

Castiel blinked. Twice. This was far more generous than he was expecting. Though to be honest, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. One thing was certain, his boss kept surprising him. First by being there during and after the fire, then by taking in him and Rowena without question. And so far, without wanting anything in return. He could feel the tears from earlier press against the back of his lids once again as emotion choked him. He hated to admit that he was unused to receiving such kindness. A tear slipped out. It was barely noon, but he had gone through so much change and drama in one day that his emotions were drained. And though he felt the need to cry, he doubted he had the energy to break down completely.

“So the room is just down the hall first door to the right.” Dean continued. He could see how depleted the man was. He watched the single tear roll down his cheek. Cas was ignoring it, so he did as well. He cleared his throat. “Guest bath’s across the hall. Laundry room is next to it. I think I got some clean sweats in there that you can borrow. Help yourself to whatever. I’ll be back in a bit. I have a couple of errands that I need to run still. Want me to grab anything for dinner?”

Cas shook his head. As wonderful as food sounded, all that really sounded good in the moment was a hot shower and a long nap.

Dean offered a small smile and placed his hand on Cas’ shoulder. “Seriously, man. Make yourself at home. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Cas nodded, and watched as Dean closed the door behind him. The room was larger without the other man’s presence and personality filling it, colder. Cas shivered and sighed. He had no idea what he would have done if Dean hadn’t been there today. He had no idea where he would have gone. Tears fell unchecked down his face now that he was alone.

How had this become his life? He catches his wife cheating, then somehow loses everything in the divorce. He then tries to rebuild his life but his apartment burns down, leaving him homeless and at the merciful benevolence of coworkers? What next? The earth splits open and pulls him into purgatory?

Loud purring sounded by his feet, reminding him that he wasn’t actually alone in this. Cas glanced down to see Rowena rubbing her soot covered body on Dean’s white carpeting. He would have to clean that later. But first… “Come on, cat. Bath time.” He wiped at his face, sniffling, and saw black covering his hands. “For both of us.”

*****

Almost four hours later, Dean sat in his Prius in front of his apartment building. Today had taken a turn that he hadn’t expected. While he was glad that Cas was safe, he was unsure how to handle having the other man living with him. It had been years since he had had a roommate, and the fact that Dean had this annoying crush on the man was bound to cause no end of problems.

There was one problem he could handle for now though. Grabbing his cell, he called his boss.

_“Ah, Dean! Wonderful to hear from you, my boy!”_ Mr. Zachariah Adler’s voice sounded extremely cheerful through the line.

“Mr. Adler. Hope you’re having a good holiday, sir.” Dean knew he had to schmooze the man to get what he wanted out of him. Didn’t stop his skin from crawling. He was just glad that he wasn’t doing this face to face. His boss’ calculating eyes had wandered over his body far too often, as though he had wanted to take over and possess Dean’s body. He was more than a little rape-y in Dean’s opinion.

_“Indeed I am. But I’m assuming that you’re not, otherwise you wouldn’t be calling me.”_

“Uh, yes sir. Unfortunately a slight family emergency happened this morning and I need couple extra days past holiday to deal with it.”

“ _Oh? Nothing too serious I hope?”_ Mr. Adler’s tone sounded suspicious.

“Not too serious. There was a fire, destroyed the home. There are some issues now that need to be taken care of.” Dean admitted the partial truth. It was easier than coming up with a full blown lie. Mr. Adler had that bizarre ability to see right through his employees, almost to their very souls. “I was also hoping that I could use my assistant to help with it as well. He’s quite good at organizing what needs to be done quickly.”

There was silence at the other end of the line. Dean was certain that he knew what the other man was thinking. He could practically see the smirk his boss had. Asking for a few extra days off for him and his assistant? Yeah, that didn’t seem suspicious at all. Even though in this case it wasn’t actually the case.

_“Hmm. Well can’t say that I haven’t been there. I’ve had a few secretary’s who were good at_ organizing _myself over the years.”_ He laughed, and Dean felt a chill crawl up his spine. Shaking it off, he continued to listen to the other man. “ _You know, I like you, Dean. You’ve already made a lot of money for the company. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you and your assistant those few extra days. But when you both come back it’s straight back to business, you understand?”_

“Uh, yes, sir. I understand. We will. Thank you, Mr. Adler.” Dean was shocked that he was granted this. He had been with Sandover only a few months after all.

_“Great! See you when you get back!”_ The line clicked dead as Mr. Adler hung up.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief as he got out of the small, eco-friendly vehicle. Opening the back hatch, he maneuvered the bags there in his arms. Hours earlier he had told Cas that he was leaving to go run some errands. It was true. But what he hadn’t admitted was that he was running them _for_ Cas. All of the days’ effort was going to result in one of two ways.

Either Cas would thank him…

Or punch him in the face for being so presumptuous.

And how exactly was he presumptuous, you ask? Well, he had gone shopping. For clothes. For Cas. More specifically, for an entire wardrobe for the man. That’s right he bought shoes, suits, work shirt, and ties. Dean was slightly ashamed with how many blue ties he had gotten based purely on how they would bring out Cas’ eyes. He had stocked up on socks and jeans and tees, sweaters and belts. Even underwear. Dean had to admit the slight apprehension he had had picking those out. His mind had wandered with every pair chosen to how Cas would look wearing nothing but.

He shook his head to clear it, but the image of a mostly nude Cas remained behind.

Once upstairs, in the safety of his apartment he breathed a sigh of relief as he set the purchases down in the entryway. He locked the door. Dean stepped over the bags, leaving them for now. Cas wasn’t in the living area, so Dean assumed that he was probably sleeping. And justifiably so after the day he had had.

Dean’s stomach growled. Deciding that today could certainly be his cheat day on his diet, he pulled out a local Chinese menu and ordered enough food for an army.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I did zero research on CPS but I'm lazy like that. Just go with it. And as my friend claimed when I told her what I had planned for this chapter, I'm Satan. If anyone has ideas for tags, drop a line. I always love reading peoples thoughts on my stories. Helps me know that I'm going in the right direction. (especially with the AUs)  
> Comments and kudos and kitties!  
> follow me on twitter!  
> Gabi@leftdrgnpaintr

The sound of the doorbell ringing woke Cas. His eyes flew open, and for a minute he panicked wondering where he was. Then he remembered. The fire, his apartment, his boss offering him shelter. Taking a deep breath, he willed his heart beat to calm. Everything would work out. It had to. This was just temporary.

He hoped.

Then again, some wishful part of him didn’t hope it was temporary, that Dean opening his home to him was done for more than simple kindness.

For now he told that part of himself to bite him.

Getting out of the comfortable memory foam bed, he placed his feet down and hissed painfully. The foot that he had used to kick in the apartment door was aching even more now than when it had first happened. He probably hadn’t noticed how bad it had been with all the adrenaline running through him earlier; but hell if he wasn’t feeling it now.

Castiel limped his way down the hall, leaning heavily on the grey walls and doorknobs for support as he made his way towards the kitchen. He arrived just in time to witness Dean whistling – _Kansas?_ \- as he pulled out plates to dish out what appeared to be all the Chinese food in town sitting on the granite countertop.

Dean smiled when he saw Cas. “Heya, Cas. Was just about to come wake you. Got some food. You hungry?”

At Castiel’s hesitant nod, Dean smiled again. Gesturing towards the couch, he said. “Go on and sit. What do you want to drink? Water? Pop? Beer?”

“Water’s fine, thank you.” Castiel frowned in confusion as Dean proceeded to serve him a large plate piled high with various choices from the white and red containers. Next he brought him his drink along with silverware and napkins. Once Castiel seemed to be taken care of, Dean grabbed his own plate and sat down next to Castiel on the couch.

“So, uh, did you rest well enough? Need any more pillows or anything?” Dean asked nervously in between mouthfuls.

“I slept very well, thank you Dean.” Castiel stared down at his plate. Dean was taking care of him again, making sure he was fed, bringing him food. Caring. Something tripped in Castiel’s chest as he realized that it had been a very long time since someone had taken care of his like this. Not even Daphne had ever been this kind. His heart flipped again. Ignoring the sensation, he dug in.

For several minutes they ate in silence, neither feeling the need to fill the void with pointless conversation. Outside the sun dipped lower, painting the sky hues of orange and cranberry. The light filtered into the apartment, warming the cool grey tones of the walls. Dean spared a quick glance at the man sitting beside him. The sun had cast a soft halo around his dark hair, reminding him of how he had once thought of him as an angel. Dean smiled softly and went back to his meal.

When they had finished eating Dean moved to get up to take the dishes when Castiel stopped him with a well placed hand on his forearm. The corner of his mouth lifted as he shook his head. “You provided the food, I’ll clean the dishes. I don’t want you to think I’m a lazy roommate after all.”

“Right. ‘Cus if I find one dirty sock on the floor, I’m totally going to kick you out.” Sarcasm dripped from Dean’s mouth, before he snorted with laughter.

Castiel rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of an actual smile behind the movement. Then he frowned as a thought crossed his mind, rudely reminding him of something vital. “Well, no worries on that front, since my entire wardrobe in currently in your dryer.”

“Uh, yeah about that.” Dean started, embarrassed. “I may have gotten you a few things while I was out.”

Castiel frowned, remaining seated for the moment. He couldn’t help but notice how the tips of Dean’s ears had just turned pink. “You got me a few things?”

“Wait here.” Instead of elaborating, Dean rushed down the hall to grab all of the bags he had stored in his room. He returned, arms loaded, to Castiel and his wide blue eyes. “If any of it doesn’t fit, we can take ‘em back.”

Castiel’s eyes practically popped out of his skull at the myriad of high-end bags in his boss’s arms. There was no way he would ever be able to pay him back for all of this. “Dean, you didn’t have to-”

“I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to. You needed clothes for work, now you have them. Just say thank you, would ya?” Dean interrupted him, with a small smile.

Castiel had to admit that it was a rather nice smile. “Thank you, Dean.” Their eyes met, unblinking for several seconds before Dean cleared his throat.

“Now, weren’t you about to do the dishes?” He grinned cheekily in an attempt to break the tension that settled over them.

Gathering the plates and utensils, Castiel stood, faltering a bit when he placed weight on his swollen ankle. He couldn’t stop the wince or the hiss of pain that escaped him. Of course, Dean had noticed both. Immediately he stepped over the bags on the ground and took the dishes from his hands.

Placing them down on the end table, he forced Castiel back to the couch. With a concerned look, Dean knelt at his feet. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Dean. Really.” Castiel answered, pain coloring his words. He had no idea that his boss knew him so well already that he knew that he was lying. Everyone else in his life had trouble reading his expressionless face, hearing the variations in his tone of voice. Even Gabriel. But clearly Dean was different.

“Bullshit. You hurt your foot kicking that apartment door down, didn’t you? Stupid sonofabitch.” Dean’s face showed his frustration, worry lines wrinkling his brow. He glanced down at Castiel’s sockless feet. The left one was slightly red compared to the right, but was visibly swollen. Dean wondered how he had even been able to put any weight on it at all today. Tenderly he placed a couple of fingers against the skin. He barely touched it; the heat radiating from it was enough for him to tell that it was at the very least sprained.

“I didn’t kick the door down, just open.” Castiel said petulantly, crossing his arms. He frowned, uncomfortable with having the other man kneeling before him. The position was putting ideas into his head that had nothing to do with a swollen _ankle_.

Dean shot him a look, arching a brow. Standing, he placed his hands on his hips and stared the other man down. “Yeah, well, congratulations. Dishes just got postponed. Come on. Gotta get that checked out.”

“I’m fine, Dean.” Castiel argued but leaned forward on the couch anyway. Testing the theory that he was okay, he placed his foot down harder, whining out as pain laced up his leg.

“You know who whines, Cas? Babies. And you sir, right now, fall into that category.” Dean shot him a smirk. “Not taking the chance on something being broken. Now come on.”

*****

Dean stared up at the caged television in the corner of the waiting room as he waited for Castiel to finish being examined. He would have gone in with his assistant, but that would have probably been weird for the other man. Dean’s knee bounced impatiently as the clock on the far wall ticked off another minute. He had been there for over an hour, expecting Castiel to come waltzing back through those double doors, gummy grin on his face, like everything was fine and that Dean had worried for nothing.

But Dean wouldn’t be Dean if he didn’t worry. The intensity of his worry for Castiel actually, well, _worried_ him. How the hell had he come to care so much for the man in such a short amount of time? He knew himself well enough to know that these feelings went far beyond a small crush, or even a large one. These were heading dangerously close to full-on feelings. Deep, heavy, painful, you’re-gonna-get-your-heart-broke-Smith type feelings.

Dean didn’t do feelings.

Within a forty-eight hour span he had gone from crushing on the man to kissing him to Cas moving in. If this rate kept up they’d be married before the end of the week.

And damn if his heart didn’t skip a beat at that thought.

“No! Get away from me! You can’t make me! I hate you!”

Dean’s head turned to the sound of the girl screaming. He frowned as she pushed a suited woman away. She looked familiar to Dean but for the life of him he couldn’t place her in that moment. He tried to get a better look at her as she stomped over and slumped in a chair across from him.

“Miss Collins? I am very sorry that your mother has passed…” the now obviously Child Protective Services social worker started. “But we will do everything we can to find you someplace to stay.”

“Yeah right.” Claire turned away, slumping even more and crossed her arms. “Until then it’s juvie. I know how this goes.”

Dean knew where he had seen her. “Claire?” he asked tentatively, leaning forward in his seat. He hoped that she remembered him from that morning. “Are you okay?”

Her tear filled eyes snapped to his. Before he knew what was happening, he had an armful of sobbing teenage girl. Awkwardly he patted her on the back. “Hey, it’s going to be alright.”

He glanced questioningly over at the social worker. If he hadn’t currently been obsessed with a certain assistant he would have tried to hit on her. She had gorgeous dark wavy hair and big expressive brown eyes. Not to mention a very limber looking body. Formerly his type. She cleared her throat. “Are you a friend of Miss Collins?”

He felt Claire nod into his neck. Following her lead for now, he said. “Yeah. I’m a friend of the family’s. Name’s Dean Smith.” If you could call one barely introduced two minute greeting a friend, than yeah. Dean was a friend.

She nodded in acknowledgement to his claim. “Lisa Braeden. I’m the social worker assigned to Miss Collins’ case. Her mother, Amelia passed away earlier today due to complications from a fire this morning. Unfortunately, Claire here has no other family to go to. And there are no foster families available at present to take her in. She’s refusing to go with me to the children’s home.”

“You mean juvie.” Claire corrected harshly.

Lisa sighed. she didn’t want to have to take Claire with her. The system was harsh once you were in it. But she had a job she had to do. “Unfortunately. Unless..?” She looked at Dean.

Before he could respond to her unasked question, the double door off to the side opened and Castiel hobbled through on a pair of crutches. Claire jumped off Dean’s lap and ran to his assistant. Castiel appeared scared as she wrapped her arms around him. From his seat Dean could hear her as she said, “Uncle Cas! You’ll let me stay with you and Dean right?”

Castiel patted her back shakily, while trying not to fall over with the crutches under his arms. While he knew the girl well enough to greet her in passing back at the apartment building, he doubted that he had ever done anything to qualify him being designated as her ‘uncle’. His blue eyes met the pale green of Dean’s across the room, and arched one dark brow.

His filter really was malfunctioning today. Dean sighed and heard the words slip unbidden from his lips. “She shouldn’t be in the system. Her mother just died. She can stay with us for the time being.”

Lisa nodded.

Claire kept crying on Castiel’s shoulder.

And Castiel’s heart expanded at seeing how selfless his boss truly was. He watched as the other man talked with the social worker, and wondered what the hell had transpired out here while he was getting checked – sprained ankle, keep it elevated- that had them leaving the hospital with a brokenhearted teenage girl in tow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I don't know what it is with me and making the boys end up at the ER after a meal. It's not like it's proper date procedure.


	6. Chapter Six

Social worker Lisa had been fairly easy to convince to allow Claire to stay with Dean and Cas temporarily until a foster family became available. She had taken their contact information down and sent them on their way.

The drive back to Dean’s apartment was relatively quiet. That is until Claire decided to speak up.

“Thanks. For taking me in, I mean.” She spoke quietly from the back seat. “I just didn’t want to end up in juvie.” _Again,_ she added silently to herself.

“You’re welcome, Claire.” Dean met her eyes in the rearview mirror. He knew what it was like to lose your entire family and get placed somewhere. Despite what he said on the Sandover welcome video, which had been scripted, he had lost his family and been placed in a boy’s home when he was sixteen.

When they made it to the apartment, Claire stood awkwardly in the living room, arching a brow at the remaining takeout and pile of department store bags on the floor. Shaking her head, she thought, _Men._

“Dean, can I speak with you for a moment?” Cas nodded in the direction of his room.

“Uh, yeah sure. Claire, help yourself to anything in the fridge. Not the beer.” He added as an afterthought, holding up his finger.

“Don’t mind me. You two love birds have fun.” Claire smirked.

Dean blinked and Cas paused in the hallway before moving faster. Dean followed Cas into the guest bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“Dean, while I find it incredibly admirable that you’ve taken both of us in, are you sure you want to be doing this? In less than a day, we’ve completely interrupted your life.” Cas said concerned.

“I’m the last thing you should be worrying about right now. Anyway, if you don’t mind I was thinking that Claire should have this room for the time being. You can take my room. I’ll just crash on the couch.” He didn’t mind a few nights of bad sleep in order to help them out.

“I can’t take your bed, Dean.”

“You’re not taking it. I’m offering it.” Dean argued.

Cas studied him, clearly thinking of what to say. Cas came to a decision then said four little words that sent Dean’s emotions into a tailspin.

“We could always share.”

 

*****

 

Dean stared up at the dark ceiling. Light from passing cars on the street below flashed red and yellow on the white paint. Dean barely paid it any heed. He was focused solely on trying not to move, not to jostle his body in any way, staggering his shallow breaths so he wouldn’t wake the man laying asleep next to him.

Despite his earlier protestations that he would be fine on either the floor or the couch, Castiel had somehow talked Dean into sleeping with him. Not _sleeping with him_ , because that wouldn’t have taken much convincing at all, but merely bunking down with him for the night. After everything that they all had gone through that day, the turns Dean’s life had taken, he was too exhausted to come up with a reasonable deterrent not to share the bed.

Now he was stiff and aching, and yes in more ways than one, as he listened to Castiel’s deep breaths to his left. Dean turned to look at the angel. The dark circles that had been under his eyes earlier were slowly fading the longer he slept, a slight frown creased his brow. Dean watched as he jerked a little in his sleep, whimpering lightly, sounding a bit like he was in pain. Clearly whatever it was that he was dreaming about wasn’t something good.

Before Dean could decide whether to wake his assistant, Castiel shifted. He turned on his right, flinging both an arm and leg over Dean. He was an octopus, wrapping himself around Dean, snuggling closer than was probably proper. _Screw propriety,_ Dean thought, taking in a deep breath of Cas scented air. Soap and cinnamon toothpaste and something that was utterly Cas. Dean knew he should definitely wake the man now, but he watched as Cas’ face softened as he shifted closer, calming whatever demons he had been facing in sleep while laying his head over Dean’s chest. Castiel muttered something, before falling even deeper into his dream world.

Dean smiled lightly and forced himself to relax. He could do this. It was only going to be a few nights that he would have to share his bed with the man. He just needed to not remember how Cas had tasted when Dean had kissed him. He smiled morosely at the thought. Sure, he wanted more, but that was on him. It wasn’t Castiel’s fault that Dean wanted more than a few nights. A lot more. Dean wasn’t about to spill the beans about his not-so-little crush.

He wasn’t that stupid.

Slowly he began to relax under Castiel’s pleasant weight. He drifted off to sleep not long after with the thought that he could easily get used to this.

 

*****        

 

Cas had woken up with an intense need to pee.

He had been shocked to find himself snuggled up to Dean’s side, using the man, _his boss_ , as a frigging body pillow. Cas couldn’t help but notice how warm the man was under him, or the fact that Dean had his arm wrapped around his shoulder holding Cas in place. Cas wasn’t going to dwell on how good or right it felt lying there in Dean’s arms. Or how solid the muscles were beneath his cheek.

It took some maneuvering but he managed to slip from the bed without waking Dean. It was still dark outside by the time he hobbled from the bathroom and into the darkened kitchen. He was surprised to find Claire already up, sitting on a barstool at the counter. Though, he took a second glance, she appeared that she hadn’t actually slept at all. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her skin blotchy, confirming his suspicion that she had been up all night crying.

“Claire? What are you still doing up?” Cas asked softly. He shuffled into the kitchen slowly; he had left the crutches back in Dean’s bedroom.

She sniffled, drying her eyes a little before turning her watery blue gaze on him. “Couldn’t sleep.” She sniffled out before crying harder.

He went over to her, and put his arms around her slight shoulders. She continued to sob into his shirt, exhausting herself. They were great big gulping, snot-filled sobs of a shattered heart. Cas let her cry for as long as she needed; he remembered how hard it had been for him when he had lost his own mother, Naomi. There wasn’t really anything that anyone could do to help except for being there for the person. He’d be there for Claire if he could. “It’s okay. Go ahead and cry. Let it out,” he whispered into her hair.

Eventually, she calmed down and said into his shirt, not bothering to raise her head. “My mom’s dead.”

“I know Claire. I am so sorry.” Cas felt tears form in the back of his eyes for this heartbroken little girl.

“What do I do now?” she questioned, whether it was to Cas or the universe in general he was unsure.

“I don’t know.” He didn’t. There were no answers, no easy ones anyway for when someone loses a loved one. “But I do know that you need to rest.”

Gently, he pried her arms from him. They shuffled down the hallway quietly, trying not to wake Dean. Claire paused in the doorway of the guest room, and asked with an arched brow. “So. What’s the deal with you and Ken-doll? You guys dating or just friends with benefits? He your sugar-daddy?”

Cas blinked. He had not been expecting that to come from her. But he understood her need to change the subject to anything more light hearted. “You’re too young to know what any of those terms mean. And we are just friends.”

“Ri-i-ight.” She smirked a little, wearily. “Keep telling yourself that.”

 


	7. Chapter Seven

“So, let me get this. For the past week you’ve been playing house with your assistant because his home burned down?” Sam Wesson asked. He sat across from Dean at their usual table at the Roadhouse. It was between the lunch and dinner rush, so there weren’t many people to overhear their conversation.

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, taking a large bite of his burger. He was stress eating again, an old habit that was hard to kick, but he didn’t care. The burger was amazing.

“And tell me again why you’re sleeping with him?” Sam, the bitch, smirked.

“’Cus Claire is in the guest bedroom,” he answered completely missing his friend’s grin.

“Claire? Right. The child you two adopted.” Sam laughed, unable to hold it back any longer. His hair shifted like a frigging shampoo commercial causing a couple of female patrons to glance their way. Sam turned into a long-haired, snorting, weepy-eyed mess.

Dean glared at the man, tossing a fry at his head. Why was he friend’s with him again? All he did was laugh at Dean and talk about weird shit like vampires and ghosts. “We didn’t adopt her, bitch. She is just staying with us until the state can locate some family.”

As though the universe was listening in, Dean’s phone began to ring.

“Mr. Winchester? It’s Lisa Braeden. I have some news regarding Claire Collins.” The social worker’s voice cut at him through the phone line. Sam looked at him concerned. Dean waved it away. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t been expecting the call.

He just hadn’t expected his reaction to finally getting it.

*****

The next morning Dean ran a hand across his face in an attempt to wake. The left side of the bed was cold, Cas having left it some time ago. Light flirted with him, winking between the cracks in the curtains. He groaned, running a hand down his face. It had been almost a full week since his life had been turned around unexpectedly. A week of being in close proximity to Cas, of sleeping next to him.

A week of reigning himself in from admitting that he wanted something more.

It had taken everything Dean had to not cuddle the man back each night. Cas was apparently a cuddle sleeper. No matter how far apart they placed themselves away from each other when they went to bed, Dean always woke with Cas pressed against him. But not this morning however. Cas was already up.

After taking a shower and getting dressed he headed for the kitchen to make breakfast. He paused as he poured his morning latte. Shit. He suddenly realized that he wouldn’t be sleeping with Cas anymore, last night had been the last time. When Lisa, the social services lady, had called the day before those thoughts had been the furthest thing from his mind. She had told Dean that they had hunted down a relative of Claire’s, a distant aunt, Jody Mills, a sheriff in town. One with an adopted daughter already. She would be picking Claire up that afternoon.

Dean frowned at the thought. Though the circumstances that had brought them all together had been horrible, they had come together, turned into their own little family unit. It would be quiet once Claire was gone.

It would only be him and Castiel.

Alone.

Rowena mewed at his feet as he sipped at his coffee. Kneeling down he stroked her soft fur absentmindedly. He hadn’t told Cas that he was allergic to cats when he had taken them in. It didn’t matter though. That’s why he took allergy meds. Looking at the cat’s green eyes, he talked with her. “You don’t have this problem. You get to sleep with him as much as you want.”

She meowed, then batted his head with her paw.

Dean laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m pathetic.”

*****                       

Castiel was pretty sure he was going to die by erection.

He couldn’t go to the emergency room to get it taken care of. It wasn’t Viagra induced and it would only come back the second he returned to the apartment and saw Dean working out. Shirtless. And sweaty.

Dammit.

The past week had obviously been a lesson in torture. Sleeping next to the man he was crushing on (and let’s face it, falling for) and not being able to do anything about it was excruciating to say the least.

Castiel’s feet slapped against the pavement at an even, slow tempo. Though it had only been a week since he had sprained his ankle during the fire, he had been itching to go for a run. It was one way to burn off this excess of energy. He knew he had to pace himself. This had been the first time in days that he had been able to put any pressure on it, so he knew he would have to take it easy otherwise he would risk damaging his ankle even more.

Dean had been asleep when he had left that morning, no doubt he would be awake when he got back though. Castiel smiled at the thought of Dean and how frustrated he would likely be when Castiel returned from the run. Who knew that his gorgeous boss slash roommate slash bedmate would be such a worry wort?

It didn’t help that Claire was leaving. Then Castiel wouldn’t have the built in buffer between him and his boss. It was easier to ignore his feelings when there was someone else in the room to focus on. Once that was gone, how was he supposed to hide everything? Would Dean notice that Castiel’s attention rarely left him? Doubtful.

Dean was no where to be found once he returned to the apartment. He checked on Claire who was busy packing in her room, teal headphones on. Deciding to clean up before Dean came home, he went to the bathroom that connected to their bedroom. Showering quickly, he turned off the tap. He didn’t bother wrapping the towel around his waist after. He just dried off and hung the towel back on the bar beside the stall.

He didn’t realize that he wasn’t alone when he stepped naked back into the bedroom.

“Cas?” Dean choked out.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning... Here there be smut.  
> I finally got over some writer's block on this, YAY! Long chap so I hope ya'll enjoy it.  
> *Note* I did change the rating on this story from Mature to Explicit. You have been warned.
> 
> Comments, kudos and yada yada  
> Gabi  
> <3<3<3

Claire had left little more than an hour later. They all made promises to keep in touch, to be there should she ever need them. Dean had sent her away with a copy of _Caddy Shack_ , practically wanting a book/movie report from her once she finished watching it. Cas had gotten her a stuffed Grumpy Cat doll. Dean would’ve paid good money to see that shopping trip to the quote-unquote “Hot Topical”.

After the door shut behind her and Jody, silence fell. Awkwardness was a natural state for Castiel, but after what happened earlier, he was experiencing it at a whole new level.

“I didn’t mean to…”

“Dean, I hope you don’t…”

They stopped. Dean laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck while the tips of Cas’ ears merely reddened. It wasn’t as if Cas was ashamed of his body, he had no reason to be. He ran regularly and did yoga, he was fit. But having someone walk in on you, while you were naked, and when you weren’t expecting it was all kinds of embarrassing.

“Dean. We don’t have to talk about it. It happened.” Clearing his throat, Cas went to the fridge grabbing a bottled water.

Dean’s eyes followed him. He was mesmerized as Cas opened the water and drank. It was like watching a frigging porno; the way his lips wrapped around the top, how he continued to swallow until it was all drained, how he frigging _groaned_. A droplet of water escaped down his chin. Using one finger Cas caught it, then proceeded to suck the moisture off the digit. Dean moved to lean over the counter, needing to hide his immediate and painful erection.

Fuck, this nerdy little dude was going to be the death of him.

“Still I, uh, didn’t mean to invade your privacy like that.”

Cas set the bottle down.

“I know you didn’t Dean.” He chuckled. “Though to be fair I’ve basically invaded your entire life these last weeks. You’ve gone above and beyond what any friend would do.”

“Friend. Right.” Dean lowered his head, looking away. He bit his lip. Friend. Of course Cas thought they were only friends. He had no reason to assume that Dean was in…That Dean needed him. There was no way for him to know that a little piece of Dean died at that word. Friends. Yeah.

“Dean?” Concerned, Cas circled the counter to stand beside him. Griping him by the shoulder, Cas forced Dean to turn to face him. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Dean answered, averting his eyes.

There was a pause.

 _Don’t say it,_ they both thought.

Only one of them listened.

“Besides I’m sure if the situation was reversed it would have been far more awkward. I mean, walking in on _you_ naked would be…” Cas’ eyes raked over Dean’s frame. He licked his lips, took a deep, unsteady breath and cleared his throat. “Anyway, I, uh, hope I didn’t scar you for life.”

Cas wasn’t going to wait around to witness Dean’s reaction to his subtle confession. If it even had been subtle. Gabe was always telling him that he was about as subtle as a brick to the face.

As Cas disappeared down the hallway, Dean’s eyes followed. His mouth gaped open, he was stunned. Had Cas just said what he thought he just said? That Cas would be… What? Attracted to Dean? Was that even possible? Sure he cuddled Dean while they slept, and they tended to have long conversations using only eye contact... But didn’t everyone do that with their friends? Something inside him screamed against that word in regards to Cas. Unknowingly, Dean’s feet guided him towards his bedroom door. His hand gripped the handle, opening it.

Cas stood inside, packing his things into a small bag. He would be moving back into the spare room tonight and tomorrow he would find someplace else to live. Cas muttered to himself. “Stupid. Should have kept your mouth shut Novak. Dean doesn’t think of you like that. He’s your _friend._ ”

Dean’s heart jumped excitedly in his chest. It wasn’t all just in his head. Wasting no more time, in three strides he was at Cas’ side. Dean turned him. Taking advantage of Cas’ mouth dropping open in surprise at the action, Dean set his lips to the other man’s.

It took all of two seconds for Cas’ brain to catch up to what was happening. When it finally did, his arms wrapped around Dean, holding him closer. The kiss turned into many, not breaking for an eternity. Each led into one another, each fierce and demanding and full of what the other felt. The intensity of it shocked them both. That was what caused them to pull apart, regardless for the need for air.

“Dean-“

“Cas-“

“Does this mean that you-?”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded. “You?”

“More than is probably advisable.”

Dean laughed.

“I don’t want to move out. Of your room or even-”

Dean silenced his protest with another kiss. This one was far softer than the ones previous, but no less filled with emotion. Pulling back he nipped at Cas’ bottom lip. “What makes you think I want you to leave? I got used to having you next to me when I fall asleep.”

“Does this mean I don’t have to wait until you’re asleep to use you as a pillow?” Cas asked seriously. Dean blinked, unsure how to answer. Then Cas, the bastard, smirked.

Narrowing his eyes, Dean answered. “Fine. I’m your pillow but you damn well will be my blanket. I want you on top of me every night.”

Cas’ eyes widened. “Really? I had assumed you’d want the opposite honestly.”

Dean was confused for a moment before what he had implied sunk in. Then he thought about it. Shrugging, he smoothed his hands down Cas’ back. “I stand by what I said. But if you want I can be the blanket on occasion.”

“I’m sure that I can get on board with that plan, Mr. Smith.” Cas smiled.

Dean’s cock twitched at the use of his name. He pictured giving Cas very specific orders involving them getting very naked, and Cas following his demands to the letter. All of which would be answered by his gravelly toned, “Yes, Mr. Smith.”

“Fuck. You know Cas. I think that I want to get under my favorite blanket right about now.” Dean clasped the back of his neck, pulling him into another soul claiming kiss. Cas let him. Eventually he pulled back enough to whisper against the other man’s lips.

“Yes, Mr. Smith.”

In no time at all they were naked. Hands slid against ribs, clutched shoulders. Nails dug into the softness of flesh. Cas’ mouth latched onto Dean’s neck, not caring whether or not he left a mark. Everyone at work thought that they were screwing anyway, so who cared if anyone saw.

“Fuck, Dean.” He pressed his hips down, their lengths sliding against each other. “Please tell me you have…”

“Shit!” Dean cursed. “No dammit. I don’t. I wasn’t expecting…And it’s been a while since…”

Cas shut up his stuttering with his mouth. “It’s okay. We’ll make do.”

He began to work his mouth down Dean’s torso, stopping to pay homage when he heard Dean’s breath hitch. Dean was panting as Cas softly bit at his nipples in turn. By the time Cas made it down to Dean’s aching cock, he was begging. When Cas wrapped his mouth around the tip, Dean died. When Cas swallowed down the shaft, he was in hell. It was too much and yet not enough. It was pure torture, and there was no way he could stop it. But then Cas sucked, pulling up the shaft, working his head and tongue in a way Dean never thought possible. And he was saved.

“You’re an angel. A fucking angel.” Dean had no idea he was even speaking as he held on to Cas’ actual sex hair. His hips thrust up each time Cas went down. He didn’t mean too, but he was too far gone. Opening eyes he hadn’t realized had shut, he looked down. Seeing Cas looking back at him with those amazing, lustful blue eyes sent him over the edge. Giving no warning, he came, shooting his come down his angel’s throat.

Cas swallowed every drop, moaning. He had tried not to touch himself while sucking Dean off, but watching, _feeling_ the other man lose control like that because of him? He had ground against the mattress. And when Dean called him an angel, and grabbed at his hair, Cas had stroked himself. And when Dean emptied himself into Cas’ mouth, Cas couldn’t help but follow.

Slowly he pulled his mouth away from Dean’s spent cock. He ran his tongue up the shaft as he went, enjoying the taste of Dean once more. Dean groaned. “Shit. That was… That was… Wow.”

“I would have to concur.” Cas agreed as he crawled up to lay beside him. There was now a wet spot on the comforter that would have to be taken care of but for now it could wait. “Sorry it was so fast. I’ll do better next time.”

Dean’s head twisted to look at the man beside him. “Better? How the hell can you get better than fucking perfect? You just sent me to heaven, angel.”

Cupping his face, Dean kissed him once more. “Fucking heaven,” he repeated.

 


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's taken me far to long to realize that the title of this is Smith & Wesson. Which should have blatantly indicated that there would have been more Sam parts in this. This has now been corrected my friends! The Destiel side is far from over but because I'm me I have to add more plot that I didn't need. *shrugs* Oh well.  
> Special thanks to VampAmber for letting me bounce ALL my Sabriel plot bunnies her way.  
> Comments, and kudos and yada yada  
> Gabe...  
> ooops ;D  
> Gabi  
> <3<3<3

“I don’t know about this.”

Dean glanced over at Cas. Worry was etched on his face.

“He’s _your_ cousin, Cas. This was _your_ idea.” Dean chuckled at his –lover’s? boyfriend’s? _something’s-_ bitch face. The blue eyed man was clearly not amused.

“Exactly. I know how he is. Which is why you should be worried as well.” Cas picked up the menu in front of him. It wasn’t as though he didn’t already know what he was getting –burgers- but he needed to do something with his hands other than wring them endlessly.

They were meeting up with Gabriel for dinner at some fancy but not quite restaurant inside a hotel on the outskirts of town. The vintage deco made him feel like he stepped into the fifties. He half expected a cigarette girl to come wandering over at any minute. If it had been up to Dean they would have just met up at the Roadhouse for drinks. In and out quickly so he could get Castiel back home and in bed and naked relatively quickly. But Cas had flashed those damn blue eyes at him and, well, who was Dean Smith to refuse such look?

At least he wasn’t the only one looking slightly uncomfortable at the restaurant currently. Across the room Dean spotted Sam Wesson sitting across the table from an extremely wide eyed blonde woman. He felt bad for his friend. Even from his vantage point Dean could spot the crazy.

They didn’t have to wait long before the man they had been waiting for finally made an entrance. If Dean hadn’t known any better he would have sworn that the wooden double doors had opened themselves for the shorter man’s entrance. Gabriel walked through with a confident wave to Castiel, whom he had spotted immediately.

“Cassie! Long time no see my man.” Gabriel plopped into one of the spare chairs at the table, directly across from Dean. Though his smile never went away, his eyes narrowed to a dangerous glint. “And you must be Dean-o. Hear you been shackin’ up with my little cousin? Guess that means I gotta kick your ass now.”

“Excuse me?” Dean’s brows shot up.

“Gabriel.” Cas warned with a weary sigh.

“What? Can’t I be protective of my favorite family member?” Gabriel questioned. He threw his hands up at Cas’ glare. “Fine! But if I had taken the time to threaten that Daphne bitch you wouldn’t have gotten…”

“Gabriel, enough!” Castiel snapped. “I love you but you need to stop being you for a few hours. Alright?”

“Geesh. Alright. Someone’s touchy.” Gabriel laughed. He really had been only teasing. Grabbing the menu out of his cousin’s hand he changed the subject. “So is this place got anything good? I don’t want to end up dead on the floor from food poisoning or a stabbing. How’s their pies?”

They placed their orders and fell into easy conversation. By the time their drinks had arrived at the table, Gabriel’s earlier snarkiness had been forgotten. Halfway through telling Dean a story from when they were kids when a screech sounded from across the room.

“Oh Sammy won’t it be so romantic! Can’t you just picture it?” the blonde woman sighed then seemingly went on to describe her ideal destination wedding to the IT guy.

All eyes at the table shot over to Sam Wesson and what appeared to be his date. From their vantage point the woman seemed to be clasping Sam’s hands while gazing adoringly at him. Sam looked terrified, while desperately trying to pull his hands away from her claws. Dean started to get up. “Shit. Looks like Sam needs help. ‘Scuse me.”

But Gabriel beat him to the punch. He wasn’t blind, he had spotted the gorgeous man earlier when he had walked in. “Don’t worry Dean-o. I got this.” Slapping Dean on the shoulder to sit back down, Gabriel went over to the pair, quickly. Trickery was one of his specialties. This was going to be fun, if only because he would get to talk with the beautiful man. He masked his face in a pleasant surprise with a hint of heartbreak lining the edges as he stepped forward.

“Sam? Hey. It’s good to see you again. Been a while.”

The other man’s eyes shot to him surprised. What color were they? Blue? Green? Brown? “Uh, hey.”

Gabriel affected the most sincere look he could ever pull off and said, “Look. I know this is probably not the best time, I mean, you’ve obviously moved on.” He gestured to the woman who preened under the attention. “But I just gotta say Sammich. I miss you.”

Never let it be said that Sam Wesson was a fool. Even though he had no idea who this man was, Sam knew a rescue attempt when he saw one. It didn’t hurt that Sam had seen the man sitting with his coworkers. Reaching out one large hand, Sam clasped the strangers wrist, hoping he would follow through on the charade. “Really? You miss me? But I thought that…?”

Gabriel internally pumped his fist in the air. The kid knew how to play. Cupping the man’s cheek, Gabriel smiled. “Of course I miss you, Sammich. How could I not?”

Becky, Sam’s blind date for the evening watched with growing horror. Her cheeks were red, whether from anger or embarrassment was uncertain. “Uh, if you don’t mind _we_ are on a date.”

The two men ignored her. Sam decided to take the prank one step further. He pulled the short man down onto his lap. It took everything he had in him not to break down laughing as he cupped the strangers face and stared into his sparkling hazel eyes. “You know, Shnookums, you always were the best thing that ever happened to me.”

It was at that point that Becky lost it. She screeched and threw her napkin down. Grabbing her purse she stormed off, only stopping to say to Sam in a hurt voice. “You have no idea what you’ll be missing. I’m very bendy.”

“Thanks for that. I was expecting her to start planning out where to send our imaginary kids to college next.” Sam ran a hand through his hair.

“Don’t worry about it. My pleasure, really.” Hell, he got to sit in the man’s lap after all. Gabriel eventually removed himself from said lap with a slight laugh. “By the way, Shnookums? Really? You abuse all your boyfriends with such horrible pet names?”

Sam stood for the first time since Gabriel had arrived at the restaurant. “Well, since I don’t actually know your name I had to improvise.”

“Uh…Gabriel. They call me Gabriel.” His mind had gone blank when Sam stood up. And up. Damn if Gabriel didn’t want to climb him.

“Gabriel?” Sam smiled, holding out his hand for the shorter man to shake. “Like the archangel?”

He nodded.

They didn’t know how long they stood there, hands clasped, until they were rudely interrupted. Dean’s yelled from across the room. “Hey Shorty! You don’t get back over ‘ere, I’m eating your pie!”


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING::: There is an attempted assault towards Cas at the end of the chapter. If this triggers I apologize. The tags have been added to show this.

SANDOVER EMAIL

TO: Sandover Employees

FROM: Office of Carver Edlund, CEO

TIME: 9:28 AM, July 15th

 

 _To the hardworking staff of Sandover, I hope that all of your holidays and vacations went well. We have an exciting new chapter ahead of us!...._ (The rest continues to outline some of the changes involved.)

_Carver Edlund, CEO_

 

“Morning Chuck.” Dean said with a smile a mile wide. He reached over to grasp the handle of the coffee pot.

“Oh. Good morning Dean. I wouldn’t drink that if I were you. Alfie made that batch.” Chuck warned. The intern was already infamous for trying to be helpful but that his coffee was nothing short of poison.

“Thanks for the head’s up.” Dean set the carafe back down on the hot plate. Grabbing a bottle of water out of the break room’s refrigerator instead, he went to sit across from Chuck. Over the past few months he had been working at Sandover Dean had formed a tenuous friendship with the man. To be fair though, he still wasn’t quite certain which department Chuck worked. Maybe the mail room?

“So. How, uh, did it go with meeting your boyfriend’s family?” Chuck inquired, sipping at his tea. “That was this past weekend right?”

“Yep.” Dean nodded. “I think it went alright. Cas’ cousin is a bit off but kinda cool at the same time.” He spent the next few minutes filling his work friend in on what had transpired. By the time he recounted what Gabriel had done to thwart Becky’s unwanted advances on the gigantic IT guy, Chuck was practically giggling. Not that he would ever admit that – men don’t giggle after all.

“That sounds as though it would have been something to see.” Chuck commented.

“Yeah. Kinda wished I had filmed it honestly.” Dean lamented. Anna from HR laughed, having joined them a few minutes earlier.

After his break Dean went back to continue his incredibly long, boring day of pushing numbers around. The only bright spot as usual was seeing Cas. Every time Cas would drop off another file, the tension in the office increased. They would share secret smiles, eyes meeting longer than necessary. Not that Dean could help it. The man was not only fucking gorgeous but he was smart as hell too. Damn, if Dean didn’t want to promote him somehow.

“Knock, knock.” Mr. Adler tapped on the door about twenty minutes before Dean was going to pack it in for the night. Dean paused what he was working on. “May I come in?”

“Of course.” Dean waved to the seat in front of the desk.

Mr. Adler remained standing. “Some idiot down in the tech department deleted some of the N-27’s and now we have triple the work load to make up for it to catch up. So I hate to do this, but I need you to stay later to help.”

“Oh.” Dean had been planning on taking Cas out that night. On a real, proper date outside of the apartment, with no relatives joining in. He tried to mask his disappointment.

“Unless of course you already have plans?”

“Well…”

“Because I see a really bright heavenly future for you here kid. Don’t want you heading down the wrong path and making the wrong choices. Catch my drift? Say yes, and great things will come, mark my words.” With a wave, Mr. Adler left the office.

*****

“It’s alright Dean. I understand. Would you like me to go get us some dinner before we tackle the forms?” Cas smiled.

“We?” Dean asked.

“Yes, Dean. I plan on staying as well. Even if I wasn’t told to.” Cas leaned over the desk, getting as close to Dean’s face as possible before whispering. “That way I can get you home sooner. Home, naked and begging.”

Dean swallowed. “That…” He cleared his throat. “That, uh, sounds like a very good plan.”

Cas left the office with Dean’s keys. They drove in together so he would have to use the Prius to get their dinner. Pressing the button to call the lift, he only waited a moment before the doors slid open. Mr. Adler was already inside.

“Heading home already, Castiel?” he smirked, arching a brow.

“No.” Cas shook his head. He pressed the button to take them down to the parking deck level. “Just making a run for food for the night.”

The remainder of the ride down was spent in silence. Not the easy type of silence either. No, this was filled with unknown tension. Hairs rose on the back of Cas’ neck, and his gut clenched. Nodding to his boss, Cas exited the lift the second the doors opened. He walked down the row to Dean’s parking spot. It was further away than it needed to be, but Dean liked to keep his ‘baby’ away from other cars. Cas wished he had parked elsewhere. The lights overhead kept flickering in that area of the deck for the past week, and this morning it was completely dark. Cas saw that they still hadn’t replaced it.

Juggling the keys, he tried to press the unlock button when he was attacked. His cheek was slammed into the windshield of the Prius as the man held him down, and rubbed against him. A hand closed over his throat, tightening. Cas tried in vain to fight back against his assailant. Scratching and clawing at his arm. It only made the man laugh.

Another hand reached around to fumble with his belt. The man leaned down to whisper in Cas’ ear. “I can see why Smith kept you. I like pretty little fighters as well.”

 _Zachariah_.

Just as his hand slipped down the front of Cas’ pants, someone shouted. Footsteps drew closer. Zachariah’s hands fell away as he was pulled off Cas’ form. Cas slid down the side of the car. A security guard held Zachariah down as he zipped tied his wrists. A soft voice sounded next to him, breaking his gaze. Cas turned to see Chuck kneeling next to him.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to send someone for Dean?” Chuck already had his hand on his phone. Cas nodded. A second security guard had just arrived to help with detaining Zachariah. Chuck told him to call up to Dean’s office that he needed to come down to his car right away.

Zachariah was still shouting from his position. He had yet to see Chuck. “What do you think you are doing you apes? Don’t you know who I am? I will have you fired so quickly you won’t…”

“They won’t be fired Zac.” Chuck sounded furious. His face was nothing short of righteous indignation. Standing, he clenched his fists as he looked down to the suited man. “You are fired. You will also be having assault charges brought against you. I can’t believe you fell so low. You used to be one of my best workers. What the hell happened to you?”

He wasn’t expecting an answer. Though Zachariah did look shocked to find him there. “Mr. Edlund. Sir. Let me explain. That man, he, he seduced me! He has no control! Yes, that’s right. This was just a game we play. A game, I swear! You don’t have to fire me. Not over this.”

Chuck –Mr. Carver Edlund- got into his face. “Oh, you still would be fired. I know you’ve been skimming funds from the company as well.”

Zachariah’s face went green. He was well and truly screwed.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay the last chapter was hard to write but I was on a roll and knocked out another chapter for you. Much shorter than the last one, but I think necessary.  
> Comments, kudos and yada yada  
> Gabi  
> <3<3<3  
> 

_“Let’s get you home Cas.”_

_“Let me take care of you Cas.”_

_“What do you need Cas?”_

Dean’s words filtered through sporadically on the drive home. Cas knew he was still in shock. It was like he was watching his life from the sideline for the moment, trying to come to terms with what happened. He had been assaulted, almost raped.

“Talk to me Cas.” Dean chewed his lip. When he had learned what had happened, he almost killed Zachariah. Then he had seen Cas sitting there on the ground, looking so small and scared, and nothing like the badass man he knew him to be. All Dean wanted to do now was protect him, comfort him.

“I just want to go home, Dean.” Cas’ voice cracked, barely sounding above a whisper. It was the first he had spoken in the last forty minutes. Dean took it as a win, and nodded. “Okay, buddy. Home it is.”

After the assault, the cops had arrived. After getting statements and copies of the security tapes, they had taken Zachariah into custody. Dean bitched for a minute at the fact that Chuck was in fact the fucking CEO Carver Edlund. “You can still call me Chuck.” Then telling his boss that they would be taking time off, which Chuck had agreed to easily, they had left.

“I hate this car Dean.”

Dean side glanced him. Cas was looking down at his hands, frowning. Feeling the manufactured rubber of the steering wheel beneath his hands, Dean suddenly hated it too. The smooth ride where you couldn’t tell when it shifted, how _quiet_ it was. An image flashed of the car Sonny used to have rusting away in the barn of the boys home. “Yeah. I kinda hate it too, babe.”

They arrived back at the apartment and Cas went straight to their bedroom. Dean hesitated then followed. Cas stood there, looking lost, for several moments. He removed his shoes slowly. Then he lashed out, removing his suit as he yelled. “Why! Why does shit keep happening to me?” Jacket and tie flew to the ground. “Am I cursed?” His shirt went next. “Did I do something in a past life to fuck up my karma?” There went his pants. “I want to know! Everything in my life has been nothing but hell. Everything!”

Dean’s heart tightened. He knew this was nothing about him, but at the same time Cas’ words hurt. “I- I don’t know what to tell you man.”

His lover’s soft spoken words gave Cas pause. Walking over, he gripped Dean’s jacket. His forehead fell to the taller man’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dean.”

Dean’s arms slowly wrapped around him, hesitant and unsure. While he may not have known his embrace would be welcome, he conviction in his words were strong. “ _You_ have _nothing_ to apologize for. _Nothing_. Do you hear me? None of this is on you.”

Cas jerked his head against the shoulder. They stood there for several minutes, losing track of time. Eventually, Cas pulled back a little and said. “I want to take a shower. I have to get…Get clean.”

“Okay.”

He stepped back once Dean’s arms dropped away. He knew Dean watched him as he went over to the bathroom and turned on the light. He left the door open as he turned on the shower. Glancing back into the bedroom, he called out. “Will you join me? Please.”

Dean let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “Of course Cas.”

Stripping out of his work suit quickly, he joined his angel under the high pressured shower head. Steam already filled the room, making the air thick. Cas was crying. His shoulders heaved as he tried to take in any oxygen he could between the sobs that broke free. In an instant Dean’s arms were around him, holding him. Stroking his hair, he spoke. Comforting words he didn’t know he was saying. Soothing words and promises he didn’t know he was making, but yet had no intention of ever breaking. Cas sobs melted away eventually, replaced by deep breaths. He didn’t remove himself from Dean though. He didn’t stop Dean either from grabbing the shampoo, and in turn the body wash, and cleansing him.

Clean and dry, and wrapped in a towel, Dean told him to stay in the bathroom for the moment. A few minutes later he came back with a pair of sweats and a concert tee for Cas to put on, wearing something similar himself. When they stepped back into the bedroom, Cas knew why Dean had told him to wait. His suit was gone. He threw Dean a questioning glance.

“I threw it away.” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “I figured you wouldn’t want the reminder.”

It was then that Cas knew he would forever love this man. No matter what else the future decided to torture him with, he would never find anyone, _love_ anyone, the way he loved Dean. Completely and until the end of time.

Instead of giving voice to his thoughts, Cas simply said. “Let’s go to bed.”

 


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel and Sam on a ...date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys. Here's the low-down. My old computer died. Some of you may already know this. I haven't been able to recover anything yet so ALL of my notes and plot points and LIFE is gone right now. I've had to pretty much start everything again from scratch. It's been bitch.  
> So I hope ya'll will bear with me on my even more sporatic updates on all my WIPs.  
> Comments, kudos, and yada yada Yoda Ya'll  
> (why didn't I think of that one when writing SWiO?)  
> Gabi  
> <3<3<3

The call had come as a surprise.

Sure he had given the sasquatch his number at the restaurant that night but Gabriel hadn't fully expected Sam to call. It had been a long shot that the man hadn't just balled up the paper that Gabriel had written the digits on and thrown it in his face. That _had_ happened with others before. He had been prepared for it, but Sam had gently folded the sheet and slipped it into his wallet.

Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.

Not only had the man called just to talk but he had invited Gabriel to go see a movie with him the next day. While Gabriel might not be a fan of subtitles and mimes, the guy had been so enthused about it that he hadn't been able to say no. Dinner afterwards hadn't been a disaster either. Sure they had completely different tastes in food with Sam going straight for a salad and Gabriel diving into the dessert menu. But their conversation barely stopped long enough for them to devour their respective meals.

There was just one problem that Gabriel had with the whole night.

He had no clue whether or not this was a date.

To be fair, even if it wasn't, he was sure that he had just found a kindred spirit, a friend. And that wasn't something that he would turn down at any point.

Gabriel followed the younger man into his apartment. He was beyond curious to see how Sam lived. Was he bare bones decorated or lived-in home? Was it frat house after a kegger clean or scary OCD sparkling?

Were the skeletons in his closet _real_ skeletons?

"It isn't much." Sam flipped the switch next to the door, shedding light on Gabriel's train of thought. The furniture was sparse, but functional. The only exception being a decent sized television taking up the majority of one wall. There were photos covering the rest of the beige walls. Completely nosy, Gabriel wander over to take a closer look at some of them. In a few frames Sam stood next to a young man only slightly shorter, and blond.

"That's my brother Adam. He works in the cage fighting circuit." Sam was directly behind Gabriel as he spoke.

"Looks kinda scrawny to be a cage fighter," he commented.

"Oh he is. But he mainly takes care of the actual fighters after the match. Puts his nursing training to good use." Sam laughed.

Gabriel's eyes went back to the photos lining the wall. Again his hazel eyes landed on a pretty blonde woman that was embracing Sam in every photo she graced. Not really certain that he wanted to know the answer, he pointed to the nearest one, "And her?"

"Jess. That's Jessica." The name carried weight. It took another minute for Sam to elaborate. "She, uh, she was my college girlfriend. She died before I had a chance to propose."

"Sam... I'm... I'm so sorry. I had no idea." _Fuck._ Gabriel wasn't the best at offering comfort. He would even be the first one to admit it. But he wasn't exactly a heartless bastard either. What were you supposed to say though to the man you were crushing on about the death of the love of his life? Because clearly, she had been. If someone could figure that out and get back to Gabriel, that would be great.

'It's okay. Really. It was a while ago." Not wanting to talk about it, Sam cleared his throat then gestured to his bookshelf. While there were some books it was mainly used for his small collection of DVD's and games. "So wanna watch a movie or something?"

Recognizing the man's need for a subject change, Gabriel shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"You pick. I'm going to grab a beer. Want one?" Sam asked over his as he headed to the kitchen.

"Sure, kiddo." Gabriel wandered over to the shelf to scope out his selections, when he suddenly laughed. "Hey! You have my games!"

Sam returned to his side, holding out a beer with a confused look on his face. "Your games? What do you...?"

Gabriel grabbed the two games cases from the shelf. _The Trickster Chronicles_ might not be well known but they certainly had a following. "Yeah. Came up with these beauties back in college after a seriously epic prank war ended when one of the sororities whupped my fraternity's ass. Can't really talk about. Full on cone of silence."

"Don't you mean another fraternity?"

"Nope. Those girls at Thigh Mega Tampon were crazy." Sam rose a brow of disbelief. Gabriel sighed. "Okay so maybe that wasn't the house name but the rest of the story is true."

It took several moments for Sam's brain to catch up. When it did, he gaped. "Wait. You're telling me you created those games? My all-time favorite games?"

"Ah, Sammich. You're gonna make me blush." Gabriel grinned.

Sam was moments away from going full on fanboy when Gabriel interrupted him.

"Listen, I gotta ask 'cus the suspense is fricking killing me here." The shorter man took a deep breath as though bracing himself. "Was this a date? If so, awesome. If not, eh. That's fine too. I just don't know how to proceed here."

Sam blinked. He was certain that his intentions had been pretty obvious. Seriously. How could anyone misinterpret a movie, dinner and 'let's head back to my place' as anything other than what it was. Apparently actions were going to work better than words with Gabriel. Sam stepped close to him, cupping the back of his neck. Gabriel's eyes widened as Sam's lips captured his.

Pulling away slightly, Sam whispered against his lips. "That answer your question?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yep. Uh, yeah. That'll do moose. That'll do."

Sam laughed.

Finding it difficult to catch his breath, Gabriel coughed, stepping back. "So, your turn. Any questions for me?"

Sam tapped his pursed lips, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, actually. How do you get past the slow dancing alien in the college town level. I know you don't really need to beat it to get to the next level, but it's been bugging the hell outta me for years."

Gabriel barked with laughter until tears rolls down his face. Slapping a hand to Sam's shoulder, he pulled him down beside him on the couch. "Let me show you. That part was something no one really would have gotten without cheats. You see the trick is..."

Gabriel's cell phone went off. Seeing that it was Castiel, he shot Sam an apologetic look. "Have to get this. Sorry."

Sam waved the apology away.

"Cassie! What's up, cuz?" Gabriel paused. "Dean? What?"

Sam watched as his date's fists began to clench the longer he listened to Dean talk. Brow furrowed, he laid a hand on Gabriel's shoulder.

Suffice it to say, the call had been a surprise.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Dean shifted. The chair was far from uncomfortable but that didn't stop him from feeling as though he had been called into the principal's office for the first time. The meeting wasn't unexpected after what had occurred. Dean eyed the man in front of him. "Uh, Mr. Edlund..."

"Dean, please, I'd like to think that we're friends. Call me Chuck." Chuck sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This whole situation was difficult beyond belief. "You know," he began, "I wanted to be a writer. Last thing I ever wanted was to be in charge of this company. But my father insisted, and I lacked the spine back then to argue otherwise. Heaven knows my sister didn't want the responsibility. So I became a figurehead, put those in charge that I thought could be trusted."

"Yeah? How's that working out for you?" Dean snapped. The man may be his boss but it was true, Chuck was his friend. But Dean? Well, Dean was pissed.

"I deserve that. At one time Zachariah had been the model employee. Employee of the month for forever. I don't know what changed in him to... to do what he did. I won't forgive him. And you can be sure that I'll do everything in my power to see that he's punished."

"Does this mean that you're no longer riding the bench here at Sandover?" Dean wondered. "No more 'that guy from the mailroom'?"

Chuck sighed, weary with the weight of responsibility. "I'll have to. Thankfully my oldest son Michael is almost done with his degree. I will start getting him trained to take over eventually. What about you, Dean? And Castiel? What can I do to help you?"

Dean thought briefly. Shrugging, he sighed. "I know you're probably wondering if we'll sue. I'm not going to, but I don't know about Cas."

"I won't fight it if you do, you know." Chuck interrupted.

"Until I know for sure how Cas wants to deal with this... For now though I'll keep doing my job."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts.

"How's he doing, by the way?" Chuck started to ask before a commotion disrupted him from outside his office door.

"Sir! Sir, he's in a meeting! You can't just go in there!" Chuck's assistant yelled out. The young intern, Kevin, sounded panicked and in over his head. The door swung open a few seconds later as Castiel stormed into the office. His hair was completely windswept, standing out all ends. He had clearly left the apartment in a rush. He wore his running shoes and sweatpants, and one of his white dress shirts paired with a backwards blue tie.

And that damn trench coat. A coat that Castiel had initially replaced after the fire.

Castiel stomped up to the desk, slamming his hands down. He glared at the CEO. "Listen here. I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just buy Dean's silence, _my_ silence on this."

"Cas..."

"If I have to, I'll go to every news station in the country about this," he threatened.

"Cas." Dean said more firmly, trying to get his lover's attention.

It didn't work. Castiel continued his tirade. "You can't just pay us off to shut us up!"

"Cas!" Dean grabbed Cas' arms, turning him to face him. "Chuck isn't trying to buy our silence."

"What?" Cas tilted his head, looking confused. He spared a glance to Chuck who shook his head.

"As I was explaining to Dean here, however you want to play this is how it will be handled. Despite the legal teams' thoughts on the matter." Chuck explained sincerely.

Castiel looked contemplative for a moment. He deflated, sinking into Dean's chair, the leather still warm. "Oh."

"Cas? How'd you know I was here man?" Dean asked, not upset by his presence, merely curious. His heart filled with pride at Cas' willingness to fight for what he thought was right, however difficult it might have been coming in.

"Anna from HR called to verify if I would be coming with you to the meeting. I guess she needed to get paperwork in order. I think she thinks we are getting fired or something."

"Over my dead body." Frowning, Chuck buzzed the intercom. "Kevin, would you get Anna up here, please? From HR?"

It took a few minutes to track her down. The men waited, Chuck stewed while Dean grew impatient. He wanted this to be over. Wanted to get Castiel home and away from the Sandover building. He could see that Castiel's hands were visibly shaking as they waited.

When Anna arrived, Chuck immediately set into her. He dissuaded any thoughts she had about the two of them being fired. If they wanted to quit, that would be their choice. He told her though to set up a 'pre-severance' package for them, arguing that if there wasn't any such thing, to create one. Dean tried to talk him out of it, but Chuck insisted.

*****

Both Dean and Castiel were completely drained by the time they returned to the apartment. Castiel laid down on the couch, arms over his face and sighed heavily. The weight of the week, and his life, settling down on him more than he had ever experienced before.

"I don't think that I can go back there Dean. Just going in there today was almost too much. Everything seems like too much right now." Castiel words came through crystal clear from beneath his arms. Dean frowned, wanting to comfort him but unsure how.

"If that's what you want, Cas. That's what we'll do. Pretty sure that Chuck would be okay with me breaking my contract to leave early. I don't really need this fancy apartment either. Probably downgrade, even trade in the Prius for a fixer-upper..." Dean's voice trailed off. Castiel sat up while he spoke, mouth gaping. "What is it, Cas?"

"Dean. I don't expect you to rearrange your life for me. I can't ask that of you." The intensity behind his gaze only compared to the tightness of his grip on Dean's arm. "You can't, Dean."

"You don't have to ask, Cas. I'd do anything for you." Dean held his closer, arms slipping around his waist gingerly. He pressed his temple to the slightly shorter man's. Dean couldn't make eye contact for this, he knew he was that much of a coward. "I... I love you, Cas."

Castiel's breath caught, heart leaping within the confines of his chest. Panicking, he pulled back, shaking his head. Had he found out about how Castiel felt? He couldn't lose Dean too. "Dean. No. No, you can't mean that. I... I'm a mess. And you... you are kind and wonderful and so fucking selfless it hurts. You can't love me. Not me."

Dean cupped his cheek, forehead resting once more against his lover's. "You're right. You are a mess. And smart, and funny, and brave. You never back down from whatever life throws out at you. You keep getting right back up and trying. Fucking amazing, Cas. Not everyone can do that. It doesn't hurt that you're also sexy as hell and kiss like an angel. How could I not fall for you?"

Swallowing down his denial, Castiel let Dean's words sink in for a moment before responding. There was too much emotion pouring out of the other man for what he said to be anything but a truth he felt. Lightly, he brushed his lips against Dean's, whispering, "I'm in love with you."

Dean smiled against the words, and kissed him.


End file.
